Wagering game variation based on omaha poker

ABSTRACT

A wagering event includes:
         a) a player position posting a blind game wager;   b) the player and a dealer position receive five down cards;   c) a three-card community card flop is placed;   d) the player must make a play wager of at least 1× of the game wager, or folds;   e) after the play wager, the dealer position hand is turned over and the turn and river cards are dealt to the community cards;   f) flop and river wagers are optional or non-existent wagers;   g) two cards from the player position five-card hand are positioned at a designated location on a gaming table (e.g., under the play wager, turn or river wager); and   h) the player position must make a hand rank with a straight or better, and beat the dealer. If the player position wins, he is paid according to a pay table.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to wagering events and particularly poker-based wagering events and poker-based events using a variant of Omaha Poker.

2. Background of the Art

The use of poker games as casino table games and as competitive card room games has undergone a significant resurgence in the past twenty years. Both video game versions, live table physical playing card versions, electronic gaming table versions and mixed physical and electronic systems have been used with many variations of poker. Among the more successful games are video draw poker (and its multiline variations), Three-Card Poker™ game, Four-Card Poker™ game, Texas Hold-'Em, Omaha poker, and the like.

Although both Texas Hold-'Em and Omaha Poker are very successful in card room environments, only Texas Hold-'Em has found any success in casino-banked variants or developed any new successful variants. Because of the large following of players who enjoy Omaha Poker, development of a new variant would be desirable to expand availability of the game in various formats.

Omaha Poker Play

The game basics and strategies for how to play Omaha Poker shown here are those generally agreed to and recommended by experts for bet limit games. An understanding of these basics is needed for all levels of competitive play. Solid intermediate and expert level poker normally requires study of the advanced game tactics and significant hours of actual casino or online playing experience.

Limit Omaha Poker Rules—2 to 10 Players

-   -   Highest hand wins     -   Players MUST use TWO of their hole cards combined with three         from the board to make their hands     -   Ace plays both high and low for straights     -   Three raise limit per round     -   Cards speak

At casino Omaha tables, a round plastic marker called the dealer “button” is placed in front of the player who would be dealing if a house dealer were not provided. The button is moved one seat clockwise after each game and the card distribution and betting starts to the left of that position.

Each player is dealt four cards face down. Then, a total of five community cards are dealt face up in the center of the table in three betting segments (3-1-1). After all the cards are dealt the players make the best hand that they can by combining any two of their two hole cards with any three of the five community cards.

The betting procedure goes like this:

Before each player is dealt four down cards. The player at the immediate left of the button, called the “Small Blind” is forced to bet $1 (half the minimum bet). Then the player to his left and two seats to the left of the button, called the “Big Blind”, is forced to bet $2.

(1) Each player is then dealt a four card hand. Then the player at the left of the Big Blind is first to act and he must either call the big blind's $2 bet, raise, or fold his hand. Continuing in turn clockwise, all the players around the table either call, raise or fold.

When the betting gets back around to the small blind, he or she can fold and lose only the half minimum bet of $1 placed earlier, call the amount necessary to get up to the betting level or raise $2 if there is a raise left.

The Big Blind is then the last to act before any cards are turned up in the middle. The blinds are played in the first round only.

(2) The dealer turns three cards up in the center of the table. This is the “Flop”. The player at the left of the button is then always the first to act. There are no more forced bets and the players can all check around if they want to. Bets right after the flop are at the $2 minimum bet level. (3) Then comes the “Turn” card followed by more betting that now goes to the $4 level. (4) Finally the last, or “River” card is turned up. The last $4 betting round takes place. Then the players still in the contest reveal their hole cards and the highest hand wins the pot.

General Strategy

In full ring, limit Omaha, it usually takes the “nut” hand, or something close to that, to win! For analysis here, the “nut” is a hand that can only be beaten by hidden quads and straight flushes. These killer hands are usually referred to as the “pure” nuts. Two pair and trips don't win very often in this game. It is needed to shoot for the nut straight, nut flush, or nut full house most of the time.

This is why Omaha players all start with four cards. Each four card hand contains six Hold'em hands when the four cards are converted to all possible combinations of two. i.e., ABCD=AB AC AD BC BD CD (Players must play ONLY two cards from their hands and three from the board). If a player is in a pot with five other players after the flop, it is sort of comparable to a Texas Hold'em game against thirty other players, because each of the five competitors is holding six Hold'em hands instead of one.

So if the player gets down to the river with a very good hand, but one that can be beaten by some other two card combinations, there is a significant possibility for a loss because a better hand is likely to be out there somewhere. The player's high end straight on the flop runs into serious problems when the board turns up three suited cards or a pair. A flush or a full house will usually pop up to beat the hand.

Just one or two good Hold 'em hands is usually not a very good starting hand in Omaha but many players cannot resist the urge to play them. With four cards to choose from, these kinds of hands are easy to get and Omaha games normally have more players and bigger pots than in Hold 'em. The higher payoffs work to a player's advantage when he/she usually starts with hands that contain four cards that all interact with each other to make about five or six decent Hold'em hands instead of only one or two.

DEFINITIONS High Cards

-   -   A, K, Q, J, 10

Middle Cards

-   -   9, 8, 7, 6

Low Cards

-   -   5, 4, 3, 2

Suited Player Hand(s)

-   -   Two of the player's four cards of the same suit.

Double Suited Player Hand(s)

-   -   Two of the player's cards of one suit and two of another suit.

Active Side-Card

-   -   Side-card that when combined with another makes two parts of a         straight or flush.

Nut Hand

-   -   An unbeatable high or low hand. Sometimes called a “lock”.         Set Three of a kind with two of the three in your hand. (Four of         a kind split two and two is a “Quad Set”) Trips     -   Three of a kind with all or two of the three on the board.

Rainbow

-   -   Hand or flop etc. with cards of all different suits.

Flop Turn River

-   -   The community cards in the order of distribution. See top         illustration.

Fast Play

-   -   Bet, raise and re-raise to get as many other players out as         possible.

Slow Play

-   -   Just check or call along to keep other players in the game to         increase the pot odds.

Check-Fold

-   -   Check when you can and fold if you are bet into. Gladly accept         all free cards offered.

The Best Omaha Starting Hand

This top ranked Omaha hand contains 4 Premium and 2 Strong Hold 'em hands: Note: In this case, the 2 “Strong” hands do not add value.

A A K K AA AK AK AK AK KK ♡

♡

♡

♡♡ ♡

 ♡

 

♡

(P) (P) (S) (S) (P) (P)

A Player's starting Play/Fold decisions will involve a quick assessment of the hand type and the six Hold 'em hands in the four card Omaha hand. The playable starting hands suggested are a good place to start. These are not hard and fast rules about what to play or not, but a generalization of expert opinions and computerized hand value results that can be used as a guide.

Two Card Hold 'Em Hands to Look for in Omaha Hands Premium Hands High Pair—AA, KK, QQ, JJ, 1010 Ace and High Card Suited—AK(S), AQ(S), AJ(S), A10(S) Strong Hands High Cards Suited—KQ(S), KJ(S), K10(S), QJ(S), Q10(S), J10(S) Middle Pairs—99, 88, 77, 66 Two High Cards—AK, AQ, AJ, A10, KQ, KJ, K10, QJ, Q10, J10 Ace and Middle Card Suited—A9(S), A8(S), A7(S) A6(S) Middle Suited Connectors—10 9(S), 98(S), 87(S), 76(S) Minimum Hands Low Pairs—55, 44, 33, 22 Ace and Low Card Suited—A5(S), A4(S), A3(S), A2(S)

Any Two Cards to a Straight—i.e. 10 6, 98, 75, 73, A4—Note: Most in this category are normally not playable in regular Holdem, but they do add value in combination Omaha hands.

Throw-Away Starting Hands

These hands should be automatically folded without any further consideration:

Quads—(including) AAAA Trips—(except A A A with a high side card suited is sometimes playable)

Playable Omaha Starting Hands Pair of Aces—A A x x Pair of Kings—K K x x High Pair and Ace Suited—Qh Qs Ah x . . . Jh Js Ad 6d High Pair and Middle/Low Pair—J J 7 7 . . . Q Q 4 4

High Pair and Two or more Other Hands—J J 9 7 . . . K 10 10 8 Any Four High Cards—K Q J 10 . . . A K J 10 . . . Q Q 10 10 . . . A J J 10 . . . (includes two high pair)

Three High Cards w Ace Suited—Ah Qs 10h x . . . Ah Ks Jd 5h Three High Cards and Active Side-card—K Q J 8 . . . Ah Qs 10d 4h

Three Card Straight with a Pair—7 6 5 5 . . . 9 8 7 8 . . . 6 5 4 6

Three Card Straight and an Ace Suited—8h 7s 6d Ah . . . Ah 9s 8d 7h

Close Group with Two Gaps or Less—J 10 7 6 . . . 8 7 6 5 . . . 9 8 5 4 . . . 9 7 6 4 . . . J 10 8 6

Strategy Tips

-   -   Stay aware of the nut hand possibilities. As the board develops,         make sure that you always know what the three best hand         possibilities are, and how that might change on the next card.     -   High pair with an over-card is a good flop in Hold 'em but not         in Omaha. In this game you need to flop two pair, a set, or         better.     -   Usually don't raise before the flop unless you are holding Aces         or Kings and are in position to narrow the field. Another time         to raise is when you are unraised on the button and have a         strong hand. Try not to let the blinds play bad hands cheap.     -   Fold the straight or straight draw if that's all you have and         you don't flop an unpaired rainbow. If you do get the right kind         of flop, bet/raise to discourage the back door flush draws.     -   Don't over value low pairs. A pair of fours in a starting hand         is only useful if it flops a set, but then a low set on the flop         is not a very strong hand in Omaha.     -   Study opponents, especially when not playing hands and can pay         careful attention. Do they find more hands to play than they         fold? Do they bluff? Can they be bluffed? Do they have any         “tells” (give away mannerisms) that disclose information about         their hands etc.     -   Get caught bluffing once in a while. It is a way to vary play         and not be too predictable. Player may win undeserved pots when         bluffs work. Player may lose a few chips when it doesn't work         but it will get calls from weaker hands down the line when         really strong and need the action.     -   Check the raisers chips. Players that are close to all-in often         rush the betting just to get all their chips in a sink-or-swim         last hand that doesn't merit a raise.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A wagering event includes:

-   -   a) a player position posting a blind game wager;     -   b) the player and a dealer position receive five down cards;     -   c) a three-card community card flop is placed;     -   d) the player must make a flop wager of at least 1× of the game         wager, or folds;     -   e) after the flop wager, the dealer position hand is turned over         and the turn and river cards are dealt to the community cards;     -   f) turn and river wagers are optional or non-existent wagers;     -   g) two cards from the player position five-card hand are         positioned at a designated location on a gaming table (e.g.,         under the flop wager, turn or river wager); and     -   h) the player position must make a hand rank with a straight or         better, and beat the dealer. If the player position wins, he is         paid according to a pay table.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows an electronic gaming table on which the gaming method may be executed.

FIG. 1A shows a schematic for an electronic system for enabling play of the gaming method described herein.

FIG. 1B shows another schematic for an electronic system for enabling play of the gaming method described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

An underlying series of steps in a wagering event according to the present invention includes:

-   -   a) a player position has a blind game wager posted;     -   b) the player receives five down cards;     -   c) a dealer position receives five down cards;     -   d) a three-card community card flop is placed on the table;     -   e) the player must make a flop wager of at least 1× (e.g., 1×,         2×, 3×, 4× or 5×) of the game wager, or folds;     -   f) after the player position receives a flop wager, the dealer         position hand is turned over and the turn and river cards are         dealt to the community cards;     -   g) turn and river wagers are optional or non-existent wagers         made as those cards are revealed;     -   h) two cards from the player position five-card hand are         positioned at a designated location on a gaming table (e.g.,         under the flop wager, turn or river wager); and     -   i) the player position must make a hand rank with a straight or         better, and beat the dealer. If the player position wins, he is         paid according to a pay table.

The dealer poker hand rank is made on a basis of best-of-five cards using two cards from the Dealer five-card hand and three of the five community cards.

A more complete description of methods within the scope of the present technology includes variations within a method of performing a wagering event. The method may be practiced by:

-   -   providing a randomized set of a single deck of at least 52         playing cards. (The cards, as explained in greater detail, may         include physical playing cards or virtual playing cards. One         deck is preferred, but multiple decks may be used);     -   a player position posting a blind game wager. (The player         position may be a physical location at a gaming table, with         wagers placed by physical game elements such as chips, tokens or         currency, or may be an electronic wagering input device);     -   the player position and a dealer position receive five down         cards from the randomized set. (Again, these may be physical         cards or virtual playing cards);     -   a three-card community card flop from the randomized set is         placed face up. (Again, these may be physical cards or virtual         playing cards);     -   the player position must make a flop wager of at least 1× of the         game wager, or folds. (The wagers may again be made by physical         game elements or electronic means);     -   after the flop wager, the dealer position hand is turned over         and the turn card and river card are dealt to form a set of five         community cards. (With physical cards, the cards may be manually         turned over, and with an electronic system displaying cards, a         button, touchscreen, audio or other component may be used to         trigger the processor associated with the electronic system to         display faces on the virtual cards);     -   two cards from the player position five-card hand are positioned         at a designated location on a gaming table. (Again, these may be         physical cards or virtual playing cards); and     -   wagers are resolved with at least one of the blind game wager         and the flop wager against a paytable, wherein the player         position, using the two cards from the player position five-card         hand and three cards from the set of community cards:         -   a) must make a five-card poker hand rank with a straight or             better, and beat the dealer to win,         -   b) ties push all wagers, and         -   c) player position hand lower than the dealer position hand             loses both the game wager and flop wager.

The method may have optional or mandatory wagers that are placed at the player position after one or both of turn card and river card are dealt. At the end of the round of play for the wagering event, the resolution of the wagers on the turn card or river card are paid at 1:1, or against a paytable at preset odds.

The designated location for placement of playing cards may be a specifically marked area on a gaming table, such as an outline on the table top (e.g., printing on the standard felt top) in front of the player position. The designated location may be a marked area on a gaming table in front of the player position where a particular wager is also to be placed, such as the game wager, the flop wager, the turn wager (if any) or the river wager (if any).

The method may be practiced with additional content, as where the player position receives a bonus wager at least equal to the game wager before the player position and the dealer position receive five down cards from the randomized set and before the player cards are viewed at the player position. This bonus wager may be optional or mandatory and may be based on significantly high ranks for a best-of-five player hand, best three-card hand from residue cards of the players hand, high or low point counts using blackjack or baccarat counting methods, lowest value low hand from residue cards, or other predetermined types of card outcomes from residue cards or the like.

The method may have the bonus wager resolved against a distinct paytable different from any paytable used to resolve game wagers and/or flop wagers. For example, if the game wager or flop wager have minimum ranks of straight and/or flush to win against their distinct paytables, the bonus wager may require a Full House or more to receive significantly higher payout odds than the paytable(s) for game wager and flop wager odds. For example, a straight may pay 1:1, a flush may pay 2:1 and a Full House may pay 4:1 on the flop wager. In the bonus wager, the payout may require at least a Full House, but payout odds may begin at 7:1. The bonus wager may be resolved against the distinct paytable with or without a necessity of a dealer position qualifying five-card poker hand rank. For example, the bonus wager may be resolved against the distinct paytable only with a dealer position qualifying five-card poker hand rank of a predefined minimum rank.

The bonus wager may be resolved on a basis of three-card poker valuation of three cards remaining at the player position after the two cards from the player position five-card hand are positioned at a designated location on a gaming table.

The method may also be practiced as a Hi-Lo variant of the modified Omaha of the present technology where a best-of-five low-hand five-card poker rank is also separately made from the player position hand and community set, and the dealer position hand and community set, such that the player position hand must win the high five-card poker rank hand and at least not lose the low five-card poker hand rank to win. The Hi-Lo method may be practiced wherein the dealer position hand must have a qualifying maximum rank for the dealer position low five-card poker rank for the player to win on the game wager and flop wager. The Hi-Lo method also may be practiced wherein when the player position hands win both the high poker rank hand and the lower poker hand rank wherein when the player position hands win both the high poker rank hand and the low poker hand rank, the player position is paid according to a paytable; wherein if the player position wins the high poker hand rank against the dealer position but the dealer does not have a qualifying maximum rank for the dealer position low five-card poker rank, the player position is paid according to a paytable on at least one of the game wager and the flop wager; wherein if the player position wins the high poker hand rank against the dealer position but loses the low poker hand rank against the dealer position, all wagers push; wherein if the player position wins the low poker hand rank against the dealer position low poker hand rank but loses against the high poker hand rank, all wagers push; or wherein if the player position wins the low poker hand rank against the dealer position low poker hand rank but ties against the high poker hand rank, all wagers push.

The Hi-Lo event may also be performed wherein if the player position ties the high poker hand rank against the dealer position but loses the low poker hand rank against the dealer position, the player loses both the blind wager and flop wager, or wherein if the player position wins with both a high poker hand rank hand and a low poker hand rank hand against the dealer position, both the game wager and the flop wager are paid according to a pay table.

A side-by-side comparison of rules of the present technology variants is provided below. Functionally speaking, the difference between a present inventive technology game referred to as Super Omaha Poker™ game and Version X is that in Version X, the player must make two initial wagers, and set two hands at showdown. In the Hi-Lo variation, the difference is in what happens at showdown. Otherwise, the betting structures (post blind, bet 1×-4× or fold on flop) and procedures for these games are identical.

Super Omaha Poker Super Omaha X Super Omaha Hi-Lo 1. Player posts blind wager. Player posts blind and Player posts blind an equal The Nuts! 3- wager. card wager. 2. Player receives five down cards Player receives five Player receives five and three- down cards and three- down cards and card community card card community card three-card flop. Dealer receives flop. Dealer receives community card five down cards. five down cards. flop. Dealer receives five down cards. 3. Flop: Player may bet Flop: Player may bet Flop: Player may bet 1x-4x the blind wager, 1x-4x the blind wager, 1x-4x the blind or fold. or fold. wager, or fold. 4. If the player bets, the If the player bets, the If the player bets, the dealer turns up his dealer turns up his hand, dealer turns up his hand, and deals the and deals the turn and hand, and deals the turn and river. river. turn and river. 5. Showdown: The Showdown: The player Showdown: The player selects the two selects the two cards he player turns his hand cards from his hand wants to use for his face up in front of that he wants to play, main five-card hand, his bets. and places them and places them (Alternatively, the underneath his flop underneath his flop bet. player chooses the bet. The player The player places the cards he will play discards the remaining remaining three cards and places them three cards. face up in front of his underneath his flop wagers; these are the wager, and discards three cards used for The the remaining cards) Nuts! 3-card wager. 6. The player must make Base wager: The player The player must a straight or better, must make a straight or scoop the pot (win and beat the dealer. If better, and beat the the high but not lose the player wins, he is dealer. If the player the low, if the dealer paid according to a wins, he is paid has a qualifying low pay table. according to a pay table hand) to win. If the The dealer's hand is The Nuts! wager: The player wins, he is the best five-card player wins on his paid according to a poker hand he can three-card hand if it pay table. make using two cards contains a straight, If the player wins the from his hand and flush, trips, or straight high but loses the three community cards flush. The player is paid low, all wagers push. from the board. according to a pay table. If the player wins the low but loses high, all wagers push.

The virtual method may be played wherein each of the player position exactly the correct number of initial cards in a player position hand and the dealer position exactly the correct number of virtual cards for a dealer position hand. These are initially virtually dealt to each of the player position and the dealer position or wherein each of the player position exactly correct number of virtual playing cards in the player hand and the dealer position exactly correct number of virtual playing cards in the dealer/banker hand are initially virtually dealt to and displayed at each of the player position and the dealer position as exactly the correct number of virtual playing cards each and third virtual cards are virtually delivered from the randomized set of virtual playing cards upon demand for any further virtual playing cards at each of the player position and the dealer position.

The table layout for play, as indicated herein, may have specific markings on the table-top for each step. There may be individually marked areas for the game wager, the flop wager, bonus wager and any individual wagers. There may be marked area for receipt of the player cards, the dealer cards and the community cards. The positions for the community cards may be marked to differentiate between the flop, the turn and the river cards. There may be a distinct marked are for the three player residue cards, especially when they constitute cards used in the bonus game. The marked position for the residue cards may be under the bonus wager marked position (with or without additional markings to indicate the position for these cards) or elsewhere. The flop wager position may also be marked (e.g., both a rectangle and circle) to indicate that position as the flop wager and placement position for the two player-selected cards for the underlying Omaha-type poker game. A separate area on the table may also be marked for this two card placement.

Turning next to FIG. 1, a video gaming machine 2 that may be used as the underlying base gaming counsel of the present invention is shown. Machine 2 includes a main cabinet 4, which generally surrounds the machine interior (not shown) and is viewable by users. The main cabinet includes a main door 8 on the front of the machine, which opens to provide access to the interior of the machine. Attached to the main door are player-input switches or buttons 32, a coin acceptor 28, and a bill validator 30, a coin tray 38, and a display area including a mechanical gaming system (or less preferably a separate electronic game) 40. There may be an overlay of touchscreen functionality on the separate electronic game 40 or some of the buttons 32 may be functional on the separate mechanical gaming system 40. That separate mechanical gaming system may be in a relatively vertical viewing position as shown or in a more horizontal (table like) display unit. Viewable through the main door is a video display monitor 34 and an information panel 36. The display monitor 34 will typically be a cathode ray tube, high resolution flat-panel LCD, LED, plasma screen or other conventional electronically controlled video monitor. The information panel 36 may be a back-lit, silk screened glass panel with lettering to indicate general game information including, for example, a game denomination (e.g. $0.25 or $1). The bill validator 30, player-input switches 32, video display monitor 34, and information panel are devices used to play a game on the game machine 2. The devices are controlled by circuitry (e.g. the master gaming controller) housed inside the main cabinet 4 of the machine 2.

Many different types of games, including mechanical slot games, video slot games, video poker, video black jack, video pachinko and lottery, may be provided with gaming machines of this invention. In particular, the gaming machine 2 may be operable to provide a play of many different instances of games of chance. The instances may be differentiated according to themes, sounds, graphics, type of game (e.g., slot game vs. card game), denomination, number of paylines, maximum jackpot, progressive or non-progressive, bonus games, etc. The gaming machine 2 may be operable to allow a player to select a game of chance to play from a plurality of instances available on the gaming machine. For example, the gaming machine may provide a menu with a list of the instances of games that are available for play on the gaming machine and a player may be able to select from the list a first instance of a game of chance that they wish to play.

The various instances of games available for play on the gaming machine 2 may be stored as game software on a mass storage device in the gaming machine or may be generated on a remote gaming device but then displayed on the gaming machine. The gaming machine 2 may executed game software, such as but not limited to video streaming software that allows the game to be displayed on the gaming machine. When an instance is stored on the gaming machine 2, it may be loaded from the mass storage device into a RAM for execution. In some cases, after a selection of an instance, the game software that allows the selected instance to be generated may be downloaded from a remote gaming device, such as another gaming machine.

The gaming machine 2 includes a top box 6, which sits on top of the main cabinet 4. The top box 6 houses a number of devices, which may be used to add features to a game being played on the gaming machine 2, including speakers 10, 12, 14, a ticket printer 18 which prints bar-coded tickets 20, a key pad 22 for entering player tracking information, a florescent display 16 for displaying player tracking information, a card reader 24 for entering a magnetic striped card containing player tracking information, and a video display screen 42. The ticket printer 18 may be used to print tickets for a cashless ticketing system. Further, the top box 6 may house different or additional devices than shown in the FIG. 1. For example, the top box may contain a bonus wheel or a back-lit silk screened panel which may be used to add bonus features to the game being played on the gaming machine. As another example, the top box may contain a display for a progressive jackpot offered on the gaming machine. During a game, these devices are controlled and powered, in part, by circuitry (e.g. a master gaming controller) housed within the main cabinet 4 of the machine 2.

Understand that gaming machine 2 is but one example from a wide range of gaming machine designs on which the present invention may be implemented. For example, not all suitable gaming machines have top boxes or player tracking features. Further, some gaming machines have only a single game display—mechanical or video, while others are designed for bar tables and have displays that face upwards. As another example, a game may be generated in on a host computer and may be displayed on a remote terminal or a remote gaming device. The remote gaming device may be connected to the host computer via a network of some type such as a local area network, a wide area network, an intranet or the Internet. The remote gaming device may be a portable gaming device such as but not limited to a cell phone, a personal digital assistant, and a wireless game player. Images rendered from 3-D gaming environments may be displayed on portable gaming devices that are used to play a game of chance. Further a gaming machine or server may include gaming logic for commanding a remote gaming device to render an image from a virtual camera in a 3-D gaming environments stored on the remote gaming device and to display the rendered image on a display located on the remote gaming device. Thus, those of skill in the art will understand that the present invention, as described below, can be deployed on most any gaming machine now available or hereafter developed.

Some preferred gaming machines are implemented with special features and/or additional circuitry that differentiates them from general-purpose computers (e.g., desktop PC's and laptops). Gaming machines are highly regulated to ensure fairness and, in many cases, gaming machines are operable to dispense monetary awards of multiple millions of dollars. Therefore, to satisfy security and regulatory requirements in a gaming environment, hardware and software architectures may be implemented in gaming machines that differ significantly from those of general-purpose computers. A description of gaming machines relative to general-purpose computing machines and some examples of the additional (or different) components and features found in gaming machines are described below.

At first glance, one might think that adapting PC technologies to the gaming industry would be a simple proposition because both PCs and gaming machines employ microprocessors that control a variety of devices. However, because of such reasons as 1) the regulatory requirements that are placed upon gaming machines, 2) the harsh environment in which gaming machines operate, 3) security requirements and 4) fault tolerance requirements, adapting PC technologies to a gaming machine can be quite difficult. Further, techniques and methods for solving a problem in the PC industry, such as device compatibility and connectivity issues, might not be adequate in the gaming environment. For instance, a fault or a weakness tolerated in a PC, such as security holes in software or frequent crashes, may not be tolerated in a gaming machine because in a gaming machine these faults can lead to a direct loss of funds from the gaming machine, such as stolen cash or loss of revenue when the gaming machine is not operating properly.

For the purposes of illustration, a few differences between PC systems and gaming systems will be described. A first difference between gaming machines and common PC based computers systems is that gaming machines are designed to be state-based systems. In a state-based system, the system stores and maintains its current state in a non-volatile memory, such that, in the event of a power failure or other malfunction the gaming machine will return to its current state when the power is restored. For instance, if a player was shown an award for a game of chance and, before the award could be provided to the player the power failed, the gaming machine, upon the restoration of power, would return to the state where the award is indicated. As anyone who has used a PC, knows, PCs are not state machines and a majority of data is usually lost when a malfunction occurs. This requirement affects the software and hardware design on a gaming machine.

A second important difference between gaming machines and common PC based computer systems is that for regulation purposes, the software on the gaming machine used to generate the game of chance and operate the gaming machine has been designed to be static and monolithic to prevent cheating by the operator of gaming machine. For instance, one solution that has been employed in the gaming industry to prevent cheating and satisfy regulatory requirements has been to manufacture a gaming machine that can use a proprietary processor running instructions to generate the game of chance from an EPROM or other form of non-volatile memory. The coding instructions on the EPROM are static (non-changeable) and must be approved by a gaming regulators in a particular jurisdiction and installed in the presence of a person representing the gaming jurisdiction. Any changes to any part of the software required to generate the game of chance, such as adding a new device driver used by the master gaming controller to operate a device during generation of the game of chance can require a new EPROM to be burnt, approved by the gaming jurisdiction and reinstalled on the gaming machine in the presence of a gaming regulator. Regardless of whether the EPROM solution is used, to gain approval in most gaming jurisdictions, a gaming machine must demonstrate sufficient safeguards that prevent an operator or player of a gaming machine from manipulating hardware and software in a manner that gives them an unfair and some cases an illegal advantage. The gaming machine should have a means to determine if the code it will execute is valid. If the code is not valid, the gaming machine must have a means to prevent the code from being executed. The code validation requirements in the gaming industry affect both hardware and software designs on gaming machines.

A third important difference between gaming machines and common PC based computer systems is the number and kinds of peripheral devices used on a gaming machine are not as great as on PC based computer systems. Traditionally, in the gaming industry, gaming machines have been relatively simple in the sense that the number of peripheral devices and the number of functions the gaming machine has been limited. Further, in operation, the functionality of gaming machines were relatively constant once the gaming machine was deployed, i.e., new peripherals devices and new gaming software were infrequently added to the gaming machine. This differs from a PC where users will go out and buy different combinations of devices and software from different manufacturers and connect them to a PC to suit their needs depending on a desired application. Therefore, the types of devices connected to a PC may vary greatly from user to user depending in their individual requirements and may vary significantly over time.

Although the variety of devices available for a PC may be greater than on a gaming machine, gaming machines still have unique device requirements that differ from a PC, such as device security requirements not usually addressed by PCs. For instance, monetary devices, such as coin dispensers, bill validators and ticket printers and computing devices that are used to govern the input and output of cash to a gaming machine have security requirements that are not typically addressed in PCs. Therefore, many PC techniques and methods developed to facilitate device connectivity and device compatibility do not address the emphasis placed on security in the gaming industry.

To address some of the issues described above, a number of hardware/software components and architectures are utilized in gaming machines that are not typically found in general purpose computing devices, such as PCs. These hardware/software components and architectures, as described below in more detail, include but are not limited to watchdog timers, voltage monitoring systems, state-based software architecture and supporting hardware, specialized communication interfaces, security monitoring and trusted memory.

A watchdog timer is normally used in gaming machines to provide a software failure detection mechanism. In a normally operating system, the operating software periodically accesses control registers in the watchdog timer subsystem to “re-trigger” the watchdog. Should the operating software fail to access the control registers within a preset timeframe, the watchdog timer will timeout and generate a system reset. Typical watchdog timer circuits contain a loadable timeout counter register to allow the operating software to set the timeout interval within a certain range of time. A differentiating feature of the some preferred circuits is that the operating software cannot completely disable the function of the watchdog timer. In other words, the watchdog timer always functions from the time power is applied to the board.

Gaming computer platforms preferably use several power supply voltages to operate portions of the computer circuitry. These can be generated in a central power supply or locally on the computer board. If any of these voltages falls out of the tolerance limits of the circuitry they power, unpredictable operation of the computer may result. Though most modem general-purpose computers include voltage monitoring circuitry, these types of circuits only report voltage status to the operating software. Out of tolerance voltages can cause software malfunction, creating a potential uncontrolled condition in the gaming computer. Gaming machines typically have power supplies with tighter voltage margins than that required by the operating circuitry. In addition, the voltage monitoring circuitry implemented in gaming computers typically has two thresholds of control. The first threshold generates a software event that can be detected by the operating software and an error condition generated. This threshold is triggered when a power supply voltage falls out of the tolerance range of the power supply, but is still within the operating range of the circuitry. The second threshold is set when a power supply voltage falls out of the operating tolerance of the circuitry. In this case, the circuitry generates a reset, halting operation of the computer.

The standard method of operation for slot machine game software is to use a state machine. Different functions of the game (bet, play, result, points in the graphical presentation, etc.) may be defined as a state. When a game moves from one state to another, critical data regarding the game software is stored in a custom non-volatile memory subsystem. This is critical to ensure the player's wager and credits are preserved and to minimize potential disputes in the event of a malfunction on the gaming machine.

In general, the gaming machine does not advance from a first state to a second state until critical information that allows the first state to be reconstructed is stored. This feature allows the game to recover operation to the current state of play in the event of a malfunction, loss of power, etc. that occurred just prior to the malfunction. After the state of the gaming machine is restored during the play of a game of chance, game play may resume and the game may be completed in a manner that is no different than if the malfunction had not occurred. Typically, battery backed RAM devices are used to preserve this critical data although other types of non-volatile memory devices may be employed. These memory devices are not used in typical general-purpose computers.

As described in the preceding paragraph, when a malfunction occurs during a game of chance, the gaming machine may be restored to a state in the game of chance just prior to when the malfunction occurred. The restored state may include metering information and graphical information that was displayed on the gaming machine in the state prior to the malfunction. For example, when the malfunction occurs during the play of a card game after the cards have been dealt, the gaming machine may be restored with the cards that were previously displayed as part of the card game. As another example, a bonus game may be triggered during the play of a game of chance where a player is required to make a number of selections on a video display screen. When a malfunction has occurred after the player has made one or more selections, the gaming machine may be restored to a state that shows the graphical presentation at the just prior to the malfunction including an indication of selections that have already been made by the player. In general, the gaming machine may be restored to any state in a plurality of states that occur in the game of chance that occurs while the game of chance is played or to states that occur between the play of a game of chance.

Game history information regarding previous games played such as an amount wagered, the outcome of the game and so forth may also be stored in a non-volatile memory device. The information stored in the non-volatile memory may be detailed enough to reconstruct a portion of the graphical presentation that was previously presented on the gaming machine and the state of the gaming machine (e.g., credits) at the time the game of chance was played. The game history information may be utilized in the event of a dispute. For example, a player may decide that in a previous game of chance that they did not receive credit for an award that they believed they won. The game history information may be used to reconstruct the state of the gaming machine prior, during and/or after the disputed game to demonstrate whether the player was correct or not in their assertion.

Another feature of gaming machines, such as gaming computers, is that they often contain unique interfaces, including serial interfaces, to connect to specific subsystems internal and external to the slot machine. The serial devices may have electrical interface requirements that differ from the “standard” EIA 232 serial interfaces provided by general-purpose computers. These interfaces may include EIA 485, EIA 422, Fiber Optic Serial, optically coupled serial interfaces, current loop style serial interfaces, etc. In addition, to conserve serial interfaces internally in the slot machine, serial devices may be connected in a shared, daisy-chain fashion where multiple peripheral devices are connected to a single serial channel. The serial interfaces may be used to transmit information using communication protocols that are unique to the gaming industry. For example, the Netplex™ system of IGT is a proprietary communication protocol used for serial communication between gaming devices. As another example, SAS is a communication protocol used to transmit information, such as metering information, from a gaming machine to a remote device. Often SAS is used in conjunction with a player tracking system.

Gaming machines may alternatively be treated as peripheral devices to a casino communication controller and connected in a shared daisy chain fashion to a single serial interface. In both cases, the peripheral devices are preferably assigned device addresses. If so, the serial controller circuitry must implement a method to generate or detect unique device addresses. General-purpose computer serial ports are not able to do this.

Security monitoring circuits detect intrusion into a gaming machine by monitoring security switches attached to access doors in the slot machine cabinet. Preferably, access violations result in suspension of game play and can trigger additional security operations to preserve the current state of game play. These circuits also function when power is off by use of a battery backup. In power-off operation, these circuits continue to monitor the access doors of the slot machine. When power is restored, the gaming machine can determine whether any security violations occurred while power was off, e.g., via software for reading status registers. This can trigger event log entries and further data authentication operations by the slot machine software.

Trusted memory devices are preferably included in a gaming machine computer to ensure the authenticity of the software that may be stored on less secure memory subsystems, such as mass storage devices. Trusted memory devices and controlling circuitry are typically designed to not allow modification of the code and data stored in the memory device while the memory device is installed in the slot machine. The code and data stored in these devices may include authentication algorithms, random number generators, authentication keys, operating system kernels, etc. The purpose of these trusted memory devices is to provide gaming regulatory authorities a root trusted authority within the computing environment of the slot machine that can be tracked and verified as original. This may be accomplished via removal of the trusted memory device from the slot machine computer and verification of the secure memory device contents is a separate third party verification device. Once the trusted memory device is verified as authentic, and based on the approval of the verification algorithms contained in the trusted device, the gaming machine is allowed to verify the authenticity of additional code and data that may be located in the gaming computer assembly, such as code and data stored on hard disk drives. A few details related to trusted memory devices that may be used in the present invention are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,685,567 titled “Process Verification,” which is incorporated herein in its entirety and for all purposes.

Mass storage devices used in a general purpose computer typically allow code and data to be read from and written to the mass storage device. In a gaming machine environment, modification of the gaming code stored on a mass storage device is strictly controlled and would only be allowed under specific maintenance type events with electronic and physical enablers required. Though this level of security could be provided by software, gaming computers that include mass storage devices preferably include hardware level mass storage data protection circuitry that operates at the circuit level to monitor attempts to modify data on the mass storage device and will generate both software and hardware error triggers should a data modification be attempted without the proper electronic and physical enablers being present.

Returning to the example of FIG. 1, when a user wishes to play the gaming machine 2, he or she inserts cash through the coin acceptor 28 or bill validator 30. Additionally, the bill validator may accept a printed ticket voucher which may be accepted by the bill validator 30 as an indicia of credit when a cashless ticketing system is used. At the start of the game, the player may enter playing tracking information using the card reader 24, the keypad 22, and the florescent display 16. Further, other game preferences of the player playing the game may be read from a card inserted into the card reader. During the game, the player views game information using the video display 34. Other game and prize information may also be displayed in the video display screen 42 located in the top box.

During the course of a game, a player may be required to make a number of decisions, which affect the outcome of the game. For example, a player may vary his or her wager on a particular game, select a prize for a particular game selected from a prize server, or make game decisions which affect the outcome of a particular game. The player may make these choices using the player-input switches 32, the video display screen 34 or using some other device which enables a player to input information into the gaming machine. In some embodiments, the player may be able to access various game services such as concierge services and entertainment content services using the video display screen 34 and one more input devices.

During certain game events, the gaming machine 2 may display visual and auditory effects that can be perceived by the player. These effects add to the excitement of a game, which makes a player more likely to continue playing. Auditory effects include various sounds that are projected by the speakers 10, 12, 14. Visual effects include flashing lights, strobing lights or other patterns displayed from lights on the gaming machine 2 or from lights within the separate mechanical (or electronic) separately, individually wagerable gaming system 40. After the player has completed a game, the player may receive game tokens from the coin tray 38 or the ticket 20 from the printer 18, which may be used for further games or to redeem a prize. Further, the player may receive a ticket 20 for food, merchandise, or games from the printer 18.

Another gaming network that may be used to implement some aspects of the invention is depicted in FIG. 1A. Gaming establishment 1001 could be any sort of gaming establishment, such as a casino, a card room, an airport, a store, etc. In this example, gaming network 1077 includes more than one gaming establishment, all of which are networked to game server 1022. Here, gaming machine 1002, and the other gaming machines 1030, 1032, 1034, and 1036, include a main cabinet 1006 and a top box 1004. The main cabinet 1006 houses the main gaming elements and can also house peripheral systems, such as those that utilize dedicated gaming networks. The top box 1004 may also be used to house these peripheral systems.

The master gaming controller 1008 controls the game play on the gaming machine 1002 according to instructions and/or game data from game server 1022 or stored within gaming machine 1002 and receives or sends data to various input/output devices 1011 on the gaming machine 1002. In one embodiment, master gaming controller 1008 includes processor(s) and other apparatus of the gaming machines described above. The master gaming controller 1008 may also communicate with a display 1010.

A particular gaming entity may desire to provide network gaming services that provide some operational advantage. Thus, dedicated networks may connect gaming machines to host servers that track the performance of gaming machines under the control of the entity, such as for accounting management, electronic fund transfers (EFTs), cashless ticketing, such as EZPay™, marketing management, and data tracking, such as player tracking. Therefore, master gaming controller 1008 may also communicate with EFT system 1012, EZPay™ system, and player tracking system 1020. The systems of the gaming machine 1002 communicate the data onto the network 1022 via a communication board 1018.

It will be appreciated by those of skill in the art that embodiments of the present invention could be implemented on a network with more or fewer elements than are depicted in FIG. 1A. For example, player tracking system 1020 is not a necessary feature of some implementations of the present invention. However, player tracking programs may help to sustain a game player's interest in additional game play during a visit to a gaming establishment and may entice a player to visit a gaming establishment to partake in various gaming activities. Player tracking programs provide rewards to players that typically correspond to the player's level of patronage (e.g., to the player's playing frequency and/or total amount of game plays at a given casino). Player tracking rewards may be free meals, free lodging and/or free entertainment. Player tracking information may be combined with other information that is now readily obtainable by an SBG system.

Moreover, DCU 1024 and translator 1025 are not required for all gaming establishments 1001. However, due to the sensitive nature of much of the information on a gaming network (e.g., electronic fund transfers and player tracking data) the manufacturer of a host system usually employs a particular networking language having proprietary protocols. For instance, 10-20 different companies produce player tracking host systems where each host system may use different protocols. These proprietary protocols are usually considered highly confidential and not released publicly.

Further, gaming machines are made by many different manufacturers. The communication protocols on the gaming machine are typically hard-wired into the gaming machine and each gaming machine manufacturer may utilize a different proprietary communication protocol. A gaming machine manufacturer may also produce host systems, in which case their gaming machines are compatible with their own host systems. However, in a heterogeneous gaming environment, gaming machines from different manufacturers, each with its own communication protocol, may be connected to host systems from other manufacturers, each with another communication protocol. Therefore, communication compatibility issues regarding the protocols used by the gaming machines in the system and protocols used by the host systems must be considered.

A network device that links a gaming establishment with another gaming establishment and/or a central system will sometimes be referred to herein as a “site controller.” Here, site controller 1042 provides this function for gaming establishment 1001. Site controller 1042 is connected to a central system and/or other gaming establishments via one or more networks, which may be public or private networks. Among other things, site controller 1042 communicates with game server 1022 to obtain game data, such as ball drop data, bingo card data, etc.

In the present illustration, gaming machines 1002, 1030, 1032, 1034 and 1036 are connected to a dedicated gaming network 1022. In general, the DCU 1024 functions as an intermediary between the different gaming machines on the network 1022 and the site controller 1042. In general, the DCU 1024 receives data transmitted from the gaming machines and sends the data to the site controller 1042 over a transmission path 1026. In some instances, when the hardware interface used by the gaming machine is not compatible with site controller 1042, a translator 1025 may be used to convert serial data from the DCU 1024 to a format accepted by site controller 1042. The translator may provide this conversion service to a plurality of DCUs.

Further, in some dedicated gaming networks, the DCU 1024 can receive data transmitted from site controller 1042 for communication to the gaming machines on the gaming network. The received data may be, for example, communicated synchronously to the gaming machines on the gaming network.

Here, CVT 1052 provides cashless and cashout gaming services to the gaming machines in gaming establishment 1001. Broadly speaking, CVT 1052 authorizes and validates cashless gaming machine instruments (also referred to herein as “tickets” or “vouchers”), including but not limited to tickets for causing a gaming machine to display a game result and cash-out tickets. Moreover, CVT 1052 authorizes the exchange of a cashout ticket for cash. These processes will be described in detail below. In one example, when a player attempts to redeem a cash-out ticket for cash at cashout kiosk 1044, cash out kiosk 1044 reads validation data from the cashout ticket and transmits the validation data to CVT 1052 for validation. The tickets may be printed by gaming machines, by cashout kiosk 1044, by a stand-alone printer, by CVT 1052, etc. Some gaming establishments will not have a cashout kiosk 1044. Instead, a cashout ticket could be redeemed for cash by a cashier (e.g. of a convenience store), by a gaming machine or by a specially configured CVT.

FIG. 1B illustrates an example of a network device that may be configured for implementing some methods of the present invention. Network device 1160 includes a master central processing unit (CPU) 1162, interfaces 1168, and a bus 1167 (e.g., a PCI bus). Generally, interfaces 1168 include ports 1169 appropriate for communication with the appropriate media. In some embodiments, one or more of interfaces 1168 includes at least one independent processor and, in some instances, volatile RAM. The independent processors may be, for example, ASICs or any other appropriate processors. According to some such embodiments, these independent processors perform at least some of the functions of the logic described herein. In some embodiments, one or more of interfaces 1168 control such communications-intensive tasks as encryption, decryption, compression, decompression, packetization, media control and management. By providing separate processors for the communications-intensive tasks, interfaces 1168 allow the master microprocessor 1162 efficiently to perform other functions such as routing computations, network diagnostics, security functions, etc.

The interfaces 1168 are typically provided as interface cards (sometimes referred to as “linecards”). Generally, interfaces 1168 control the sending and receiving of data packets over the network and sometimes support other peripherals used with the network device 1160. Among the interfaces that may be provided are FC interfaces, Ethernet interfaces, frame relay interfaces, cable interfaces, DSL interfaces, token ring interfaces, and the like. In addition, various very high-speed interfaces may be provided, such as fast Ethernet interfaces, Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, ATM interfaces, HSSI interfaces, POS interfaces, FDDI interfaces, ASI interfaces, DHEI interfaces and the like.

When acting under the control of appropriate software or firmware, in some implementations of the invention CPU 1162 may be responsible for implementing specific functions associated with the functions of a desired network device. According to some embodiments, CPU 1162 accomplishes all these functions under the control of software including an operating system and any appropriate applications software.

CPU 1162 may include one or more processors 1163 such as a processor from the Motorola family of microprocessors or the MIPS family of microprocessors. In an alternative embodiment, processor 1163 is specially designed hardware for controlling the operations of network device 1160. In a specific embodiment, a memory 1161 (such as non-volatile RAM and/or ROM) also forms part of CPU 1162. However, there are many different ways in which memory could be coupled to the system. Memory block 1161 may be used for a variety of purposes such as, for example, caching and/or storing data, programming instructions, etc.

Regardless of network device's configuration, it may employ one or more memories or memory modules (such as, for example, memory block 1165) configured to store data, program instructions for the general-purpose network operations and/or other information relating to the functionality of the techniques described herein. The program instructions may control the operation of an operating system and/or one or more applications, for example.

Because such information and program instructions may be employed to implement the systems/methods described herein, the present invention relates to machine-readable media that include program instructions, state information, etc. for performing various operations described herein. Examples of machine-readable media include, but are not limited to, magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tape; optical media such as CD-ROM disks; magneto-optical media; and hardware devices that are specially configured to store and perform program instructions, such as read-only memory devices (ROM) and random access memory (RAM). The invention may also be embodied in a carrier wave traveling over an appropriate medium such as airwaves, optical lines, electric lines, etc. Examples of program instructions include both machine code, such as produced by a compiler, and files containing higher-level code that may be executed by the computer using an interpreter.

Although the system shown in FIG. 1B illustrates one specific network device of the present invention, it is by no means the only network device architecture on which the present invention can be implemented. For example, an architecture having a single processor that handles communications as well as routing computations, etc. is often used. Further, other types of interfaces and media could also be used with the network device. The communication path between interfaces may be bus based (as shown in FIG. 1B) or switch fabric based (such as a cross-bar).

The CPU system may perform additional functions unique to the operation of the present gaming system. The CPU may be engaged with flow meters to measure rates or flow of liquid, volume of total water in the system (by measuring volume in the reservoir when a lowest amount of fluid is in the container and pipes, determination of proportionate payouts dependent upon fluid levels and execution of unique game code. A densitometer in the fluid flow path may be present to determine deterioration in color density or discoloration of the fluid due to contamination, and an alarm is sounded when the color quality (density, tone, wavelengths of absorption and the like) varies beyond predetermined parameters. Those skilled in the gaming and video gaming arts will be aware of the availability of existing and improving technology that may be used as alternatives within the generic concepts enabled herein in the practice of the present invention. 

1. A method of performing a wagering event comprises: providing a randomized set of a single deck of at least 52 physical playing cards; a player position posting a blind game wager; the player position and a dealer position receive five down physical playing cards from the randomized set; a three-card community physical playing card flop from the randomized set of at least 52 physical playing cards is placed face up; the player position must make a play wager of at least 1× of the game wager, or folds to end the wagering event; after making the play wager, the dealer position hand is turned over and a turn card and a river card are dealt from the randomized set of at least 52 physical playing card to form a set of five community physical playing cards; two physical playing cards from the player position five-card physical playing card hand are positioned at a designated location on a gaming table; and wagers are resolved with at least the blind game wager or the play wager against a paytable, wherein the player position, using the two physical playing cards from the player position five-card physical playing card hand and three physical playing cards from the set of physical playing card community cards: a) must make a five-card poker hand rank with a straight or better, and beat the dealer hand of physical playing cards according to 5-card poker ranks to win, b) ties in 5-card ranks of physical playing card hands push all wagers, and c) a player position hand 5-card poker rank lower than the dealer position 5-card poker hand loses both the game wager and play wager.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein optional or mandatory wagers are placed at the player position after one or both of the turn card and the river card are dealt.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein resolution of the wagers on the turn card or river card are paid at 1:1.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the designated location is a marked area on a gaming table in front of the player position.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the designated location is a marked area on a gaming table in front of the player position where a particular wager is also to be placed.
 6. The method of claim 5 wherein the designated location is the marked area where the play wager must be placed.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the player position receives a bonus wager at least equal to the game wager before the player position and the dealer position receive five physical playing card down cards from the randomized set of at least 52 physical playing cards and before the player position physical cards are viewed at the player position.
 8. The method of claim 7 wherein the bonus wager is resolved against a distinct paytable for 5-card poker hands different from any paytable used to resolve game wagers of play wagers.
 9. The method of claim 8 wherein the bonus wager is resolved according to the distinct paytable whether or not the player position hand wins against the dealer position hand on the game wager and play wager in comparing 5-card poker hands.
 10. The method of claim 7 wherein the bonus wager is resolved against the distinct paytable without a necessity of a dealer position qualifying five-card poker hand rank.
 11. The method of claim 7 wherein the bonus wager is resolved against the distinct paytable only with a dealer position qualifying five-card poker hand rank of a predefined minimum rank.
 12. The method of claim 7 wherein the bonus wager is resolved on a basis of three-card poker valuation of three physical playing cards remaining at the player position after the two physical playing cards from the player position five-card physical playing card hand are positioned at a designated location on a gaming table.
 13. The method of claim 1 wherein a best-of-five low-hand five-card poker rank is also separately made from the player position hand and community set, and the dealer position hand and community set, such that the player position hand must win the high five-card poker rank hand and at least not lose the low five-card poker hand rank to win.
 14. The method of claim 13 wherein the dealer position hand must have a qualifying maximum rank for the dealer position low five-card poker rank for the player to win on the game wager and play wager.
 15. The method of claim 13 wherein when the player position hands win both the high poker rank hand and the low poker hand rank, the player position is paid according to a pay table.
 16. The method of claim 13 wherein if the player position wins the high poker hand rank against the dealer position but loses the low poker hand rank against the dealer position, all wagers push.
 17. The method of claim 13 wherein if the player position wins the low poker hand rank against the dealer position low poker hand rank but loses against the high poker hand rank, all wagers push.
 18. The method of claim 13 wherein if the player position wins with both a high poker hand rank hand and a low poker hand rank hand against the dealer position, at least one of the game wager and the play wager is paid according to a pay table. 